Bourgeoisie

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bourgeoisie

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the etymological origin?Derived from Old French 'burgeis', meaning 'town dweller'
2. What is the period of emergence?Late Middle Ages (roughly 11th-15th centuries)
3. What does the word "bourgeoisie" mean?The word comes from French and means "town dweller." It describes people who lived in towns and helped grow them.
4. How did the bourgeoisie become rich?They made money by trading goods, making crafts, and lending money. They didn't inherit land like the nobles.

Bourgeoisie: A historical and sociological term for the social class that emerged in medieval towns, characterized by wealth derived from commerce and industry.
Means of Production: The physical assets, such as factories, machinery, and raw materials, used to produce goods and services.
Capital: Wealth, in the form of money or other assets, owned by a person or organization or available for a purpose such as starting a company or investing.
Proletariat: In Marxist theory, the class of wage laborers who do not own the means of production and whose primary source of income is the sale of their labor power.